


Be Your Valentino Just For You

by Copper_mouth



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff without Plot, M/M, POV Outsider, Period-Typical Racism, Social drinking, Tony is a movie star, a bit of gushing and some love-sick mooning, dinner date setting, does this count as fluff? idk, go figure, hmm that's it that's the fic, if you will, not from the main characters though, unnamed narrator, vague-ish mid-century setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-22 04:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21069254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copper_mouth/pseuds/Copper_mouth
Summary: Tony Rhodes is the newest sensation to grace the silver screen - and she's having dinner with him! Good thing his assistant is there to help soothe her nerves, but who is the fourth person who will be joining them?Ok, she's still a little nervous - thank God for the Cabernet.





	Be Your Valentino Just For You

**Author's Note:**

> This started because I love the sound of "Tony Rhodes" and the idea of Tony taking Rhodey's last name. Then I got to thinking that Tony Rhodes sounds like an old-timey movie star name and this happened. *shrugs* This takes place in the decade or so after WWII - please excuse any historical inaccuracies or anachronisms you might find.
> 
> Bonus points if you can guess who the narrator is ;)

She isn’t flustered. That just doesn’t convey her current state at all. She’s excited, yes – and there are some nerves as well, but the kind she welcomes, the kind that happen naturally when she has on a new dress and she’s going to a lovely restaurant that’s well-known and hard to get into and she’s going to have dinner with wonderful people that she doesn’t know very well but are bound to become good friends with her. Pleasant anticipation. That’s all. She hasn’t been flustered since the first time she was asked to dance at her debutante ball. Her mother would tell her she has too much good breeding to be getting nervous about meeting some _actor_, and her voice would be dripping with disdain as she said the word like it was a disease and well, she doesn’t much like the phrase “good breeding” anymore anyways. 

Alright, she’s flustered. 

It’s just that – she’s meeting _Tony Rhodes_. Tony Rhodes! 

He’s the newest sensation to grace the silver screen. Dark and dashing, a charming rogue – of course, filmgoers have been eating him up since his first surprise hit, the gritty, futuristic thriller _Iron Man_. He’d since proven his versatility, playing leading men and villains, suitors and generals alike. He could dance, he could sing, he held worlds of emotions in the depth of his eyes, he could steal a scene with the quirk of his brow, he could elevate an entire theater with a blinding smile or plunge them into agony with the curl of his lip. He made women swoon across every set, and according to rumor, in his non-working life as well. 

If she wasn’t already very much in love with her own fiancé her nerves would be centered a lot lower than her breastbone. 

As the maître d’ leads her back to the table, she mentally runs through her checklist and reassures herself that everything is in good order. Her appearance, of course, is flawless – hair done up perfectly, dress stunning and of her own design, shoes a precise match with enough heel to give her a little fun. Her makeup is impeccable she knows, and she decided to wear the new perfume from Paris. The admiring looks she is receiving as they walk through the restaurant confirm what she already knows. 

Even more importantly, she has a list of topics memorized in case the conversation lulls at dinner, and she has been practicing meeting one of the country’s biggest celebrities in the mirror, schooling her mannerisms so she doesn’t forget herself completely and make an embarrassment out of them all. 

_You were invited to dinner for a reason_, she reminds herself. _ You’re not imposing, you’re not a fan stopping him in the street and squealing for an autograph. Get it together. _

Still, she feels an almost ridiculous rush of relief as they round a pillar, and she sees that her famous dinner companion has brought his assistant with him to dine. Having done her research, she even knows the woman’s name and little bit of her background. Surreptitiously, she takes the deepest breath she can manage as they reach the table. 

Tony Rhodes jumps up and clasps her hand in greeting as her seat is pulled out for her. “So wonderful to see you,” he says with a warm smile. “We’re so glad you could make it.” 

“Likewise, Mr. Rhodes,” she replies, willing herself not to be awkward and starstruck. 

“Please, call me Tony,” he tells her as they sit down together. The sounds of the pianist playing quietly in the corner of the room and silverware tinkling together overwhelm her a bit in the moment that follows. Once again she is left momentarily stunned and a little speechless by how well his charm and good lucks seem to take up all the room around them, even more so in person than on the screen. 

Then he’s introducing her to his assistant, Pepper Potts, and the lovely young woman is exclaiming over her dress – new enough to have never yet been debuted in one of her shows – and the wine is being poured and just like that, she’s as at ease as if she had known the two her entire life. 

Tony is knowledgeable enough in fashion to be able to contribute to the conversation and allow her to feel as if she doesn’t need to hurry to change the topic for his sake. He agrees enthusiastically when she compliments the dress that Pepper is wearing – seafoam green layered in shimmering swaths that drape beautifully over her slender frame – and she blushes in a pleased sort of way that tells her the assistant is still getting used to being in the center of attention the way that must happen to every member of her employer’s entourage. 

She’s quite pleased at the picture that Pepper and Tony make and thinks that she fits together with them very nicely. Tony is in a gorgeous deep red waistcoat and black jacket, accented with a gold pocket square only a shade or two darker than the rich yellow of her own dress. She can only hope the fourth member of their party will look as good whenever it is that they arrive. 

During a lull in the conversation, she asks about their mystery companion, curious as to who else would have been asked to a dinner ostensibly called to celebrate the deal that had been struck between her fashion company and the studio Tony works for, and also to start brainstorming ideas for outfitting Tony for the next round of press tours and red-carpet events. 

She is surprised, though, at how Tony’s face lights up when she asks who else will be joining them. If she didn’t know any better she would think…well, it’s not her place. She must be mistaken anyways, because Tony has started telling her about the career military man who should be along any minute now. 

“He’ll be so glad to meet you,” Tony tells her, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. “He’s always despairing over making me look like a presentable member of society and is continually keeping an eye out for reinforcements.” 

“Oh,” she says, blinking a bit. “I’m sure it’s not so difficult as all that.” 

Pepper makes a sound into her glass that in cruder company would be described as a snort. 

“You must have known each other for a long time,” she continues, a little unsure in the face of her companions’ amusement. 

“Close to twenty years,” Tony answers, looking off into the distance as if recalling a fond memory. 

She smiles in return. “Old friends are the best friends,” she says. “He must have the best stories to tell on you, Tony!” If she feels a little secret thrill at addressing the nation’s newest heartthrob by his given name, well that’s her business isn’t it. 

Pepper chuckles wryly at this. “James has the _best_ Tony stories. Every time I see him I get to hear a new one.” 

_James_, she thinks. Alright, there’s one piece of puzzle. 

Tony leans back in his seat and laughs. “You better believe it! Though I have a few good ones on him as well. He’ll try to play the straight man to my rabble-rouser, but don’t let him fool you – he never had to be convinced very hard to go along with any of my schemes, and he even came up with a few of them himself!” 

“Must be his outlet from being so strait-laced all the time in the military,” she muses, then beams as the others nod in agreement. “How long has he served?” she asks. 

“Almost as long as I’ve known him,” Tony answers, a little more serious than before, and she sobers as well. She knows very well what lays within that timeframe for any soldier serving now. “Flew dozens of missions in the European theater,” he continues, confirming her suspicions yet distracting her with that new revelation. 

“An Airman?” she exclaims. “I was always in such awe over the pilots who fought in the war! But I don’t know very much about how those divisions worked at all. Tell me, where do they even learn to fly a plane like that?” 

It may be her imagination, but Tony’s smile gets a little strained and Pepper seems to glance at her nervously. 

“He trained at Tuskegee,” Tony says. He stops and looks at her as if waiting for a reaction. 

_Tuskegee_, she thinks. _ That sounds familiar. But where have I heard of it before…oh, Tuskegee. Tuskegee? _

Her eyes widen and her mouth opens to reply, though in truth she has no idea what she is supposed to say. A sudden commotion rising through the restaurant interrupts them before she has to a chance to speak, however. 

She looks around to see others’ heads turning throughout the restaurant, and the sound of angry voices are rising up above the music playing softly in the dining room. Then she gasps a little as she sees him, and she has to pray with everything she has, face turning as red as the wine in her glass, that her companions did not hear her or misinterpret her surprise. 

A tall, strikingly good-looking man with dark skin and an officer’s uniform is striding through the restaurant, accompanied by a surly looking man glancing challengingly around the room that she recognizes as Tony’s chauffeur, Happy Hogan. Quite a few of their fellow restaurant-goers are glaring at their approaching companion in disgust, but he holds his head high and pays them no mind, walking with relaxed shoulders and an easy gait over towards their table. 

Tony leaps to his feet to greet the newcomer, his hands finding the other’s and pulling him in for an embrace, pressing kisses onto his smiling cheeks in a manner more sincere than the typical Hollywood routine. Pepper is smiling at him warmly and leans in for a hug as well once Tony has finally released him. 

She feels warmth swelling in her chest, then pricking behind her eyes. _Don’t you dare_, she warns her trouble-making tear ducts. Covering up her rush of emotion with a genuine smile, she takes his hand when he turns to her and introduces herself. 

Then they’re being seated again, James sitting tall and proud beside them as Tony relaxes next to him like he suddenly hasn’t a care in the world. Happy is pressing something into the maître d’s hand, and Tony is looking at her as if she’d passed a test she didn’t even know to study for, approval glinting in his eyes, and she feels as if the evening has truly begun. 

The alcove their table is tucked into makes more sense to her now, and she’s glad for the distance between their cozy little group and the bloodsuckers still turning up their noses in the rest of the dining room. 

Their conversation, which had already been flowing nicely before, ticks over into truly lively as Tony brightens even more where he is sitting close to the newcomer, and the rest of them follow his lead. 

James is lovely. He teases Tony and commiserates with Pepper in turn, and never fails to include her as well, even when they’re telling stories and discussing topics that she isn’t any part of. There’s something inherently grounding about him, and she can feel the last of her nerves ebbing away, leaving her able to truly relax and enjoy the evening. 

She still hasn’t heard his last name, though, and she never caught his rank, so she’s not exactly sure how to address him. Tony calls him _darling_ and _dear_ and on one memorable occasion _sugar plum_, so there’s not much help to be found from that quarter. Pepper calls him by his first name with a comfortable familiarity, so she decides to follow her lead and do the same, even if she feels a little embarrassed at addressing such a distinguished stranger so informally. 

They start talking about their college years, and she is surprised to find out that James and Tony attended MIT together. Honestly, her wonder is that either one attended. Tony, due to his current career path, and well – she realizes with a guilty start she has no idea what the college acceptance rates for African Americans are, but she’s sure they’re very low. This would have been several decades ago, too. Her respect for the Airman grows even more as she thinks of the difficulties he must have overcome to be where he is today. 

A quick glance at James shows that he’s not looking too excited at the thought of rehashing all of that, though, so she turns to Tony instead. 

“Manufacturing is the family business,” he says in response to her curiosity. “I still like to tinker here and there.” 

James interrupts Tony with a laugh. “Don’t listen to him,” he smiles at her. “Tony has 47 patents to his name, with two more pending.” 

Every new thing she learns this evening just builds on her sense of intrigue as she gets to know the movie star and his friends. 

They talk about the time Tony visited James in Italy during the war and tell her it was to check up on his extended family on his mother’s side, but she can read between the lines with the best of them. She knows what a little dabbling in war-time espionage looks like, though of course no one will come right out and say it. 

They talk about family and she learns that Tony knows James’s family very well and cares about them deeply, sharing stories with her and asking James after their well-being. He must have done his research on her as well, she realizes with a blush, as he asks her about Hank and when the wedding will be. 

They talk about Tony’s activism and she realizes it is much more extensive than she had discovered with her own research. They all toast the cause’s recent successes as James looks on at them proudly, then turns to her and thanks her for the inclusivity of her own fashion company, noting the several African American designers she has employed. 

She’s starting to understand James’s inclusion in this meeting more and more and wonders how much role his opinion played in Tony seeking her out to work with. 

As the evening draws on, they are more and more closed off in their own little secluded area away from everyone else. Dessert dishes have been cleared away and they are drinking wine, and everything is slow-moving and warm and there’s nowhere else she could think of that she’d rather be. 

Tony starts name-dropping Brando and Hepburn, and James just leans on his side and laughs at him for putting the Rhodes name in there with the greats. They’re all drawn into his mirth effortlessly, even Tony’s eyes crinkling with glee as he joins in the amusement. 

When she finally looks around at the rest of the dining room, she is startled to note that most of the other guests have left, and they are some of the last still lingering here before leaving and allowing the rest of the night to slip through their fingers. 

She lays her head on her hand and sighs as she twirls her wine glass, and Pepper leans towards her to murmur with her quietly as the two men on the other side of the table seem to fall into their own world together. 

There’s a split second as the candle-light flickers where Tony and James sway towards each other and look at the other’s mouth and she’s almost sure they are going to – but no. She must be too tipsy and seeing things. They glance her way and they all smile at each other, then Tony is setting his napkin on the table and glancing at his watch and she knows their time together is drawing to a close. 

What a wonderful evening she’s had. 

Pepper is making noises about helping her into her coat, and she is trying to tell them all how lovely the evening was, how delightful she finds them, how enchanted she’s been. Tony eyes her surprisingly sharply given the amount he’s had to drink and seems to come to a decision. 

“I’m so glad,” he says, laying a hand over hers and clasping it briefly with a warm glance. “That you got to meet the best man I know, Lt. Colonel James Rhodes.” 

She’s surprised again, she’s been surprised so many times this evening, but she’s also confused. Her head is pounding a little from all the wine she drank, and she looks back and forth between them – their faces tell her they’re not saying that they are blood relations. 

“We’re not related,” Tony confirms. “But we are family.” He’s looking straight at James now; they’re both smiling and holding each other’s gaze tenderly. 

“I took his name,” Tony says, and she gasps. Tony spares her a brief glance and relaxes as he sees the tears welling in her eyes. “Not many people know or understand, but I wanted to honor him.” 

Oh, she’s – oh, that’s so wonderful, she thinks, blinking back tears. How honored she feels – that they trusted her enough to share this with her! 

They’re leaving now, Tony and James only having eyes for each other, and she and Pepper watch them go. Their hands are wrapping around each other’s clandestinely, and they’re tilting toward each other as they walk through the room as if magnetized. 

Tony and James Rhodes get in the lift at the far end of the restaurant as she and Pepper make their own way out. The last glimpse she has of them is the two facing each other, slowly drawing nearer as the elevator doors close. 

**Author's Note:**

> Join me in pro-shipping, multi-shipping, Tony Stark stan hell on [tumblr.](https://copper-mouth.tumblr.com/)


End file.
